


Habits of My Heart

by Nabicchi



Category: The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 魔道祖师 | Módào Zǔshī (Cartoon)
Genre: 13 years, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, CEO, Commoner, First Love, Fluff, Heir, I needed them to meet so fuck plot, M/M, Midnight walks, accidental meetings, everything from then on actually has plot, lan wangji loves wei wuxian, plot? what plot, the first chapter has no plot whatsoever, thirsty wei wuxian
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-26 22:08:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17149958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nabicchi/pseuds/Nabicchi
Summary: It was a chance meeting Lan Wangji could never forget.He remembered that day as if it was yesterday. Remembered how it had been snowing that night, how he wanted to escape everyone's expectation and how that boy's shoes were the brightest pair of red he's ever seen.13 years later and Lan Wangji still walks through that park in hopes of meeting that boy and his bright, red shoes accompanied by that smile that he just can't seem to forget.





	1. the boy that goes by Wei Wuxian

 

It wasn't as if Lan Wangji wanted to do this  storm out on his uncle and swear he'd never set foot in that household again. No, that hadn't been his plan, or at least, it _shouldn't_ have been. But what's been done had been done and here he was, out in the cold without a sweater or anything to keep him remotely warm. 

 

Sighing, Lan Wangji aimlessly wandered around town. He remembered seeing the flashes and blurs of people's faces, the echoes of warmth from the insides' of buildings and the cold touch of the drifting snow that were as lost as him. But that was fine. 

 

At least, that's what he tried to tell himself as he stood in the middle of a deserted park glistening with the touch of nature, lost and hungry.

 

Streetlamps flooded the edge of the sidewalks, dimly creating what little source of light he had. Off to the side, there was a slide and Lan Wangji wandered if that would be a good enough makeshift shelter for tonight. As quickly as the thought came, Lan Wangji snapped it out of his head.  _No_ _,_ he thought, frowning.  _There were better shelters out there._

 

Settling for the bench in the corner that seemed to have stood away from the rest, he decided that would be good enough for tonight. Not even a speck of snow had touched it, and if it had, Lan Wangji couldn't tell. 

 

Bringing his hand up to his mouth, the young man, a boy, really, slid onto the bench and blew, creating any sort of heat he could on this chilly day. He needed to survive for the night if he wanted to prove his uncle wrong.

 

The howls of the wind spun the snow around to it's liking as branches of dead trees moved and danced as if it was still alive and thriving with life. The stars did it's best to light up the sky without the moon, but even if millions and millions of stars had plagued the sky to make up for the glow of the sun's companion, none could beat the moon's brilliant glare. 

 

 _Ah_. Lan Wangji fluttered his eyes to a close. _This was nice_

 

" _What's a pretty boy like you doing in my everyday spot?_ "

 

Lan Wangji jerked his attention over to the voice, eyes wide and body tensed as he took note of the person that seemed to have vanquished into thin air. How long they'd been there, Lan Wangji wasn't quite sure.

 

Standing there was a boy, one that seemed to be around his age. He wore sweats and had a coat hung loosely on his shoulder. Everything he wore was black, Lan Wangji noticed. From head to tie; buttons to pants, black. Lan Wangji glanced down and  oh. 

 

Those were _really_ bright, red shoes. 

 

Following his gaze, the boy let a quirky smile slip onto his face as he took a step closer to Lan Wangji. 

 

"Like my shoes?" He asked, a certain twinkle in his eyes. "Nice, aren't they?"

 

Lan Wangji had simply looked back up, stared at the boy and turned his head to stare at the drifting snow again. 

 

"Tch, _rude_ ," the boy muttered under his breath, plopping down onto the seat beside Lan Wangji and threw his arm over the bench. "Anyways, what's a pretty boy like you doing out here in the middle of the night  wait, don't scoot farther away, I was just _kidding_." 

 

Lan Wangji didn't make any effort to scoot back to his original spot. 

 

The boy looked over to Lan Wangji, a cocked eyebrow in his direction and teasing smile sent his way, Lan Wangji knew this boy was trouble from the get go. 

 

"S'name Wei Wuxian!" He exclaimed happily, offering a hand with the curls of his lip twisted up. He scooted closer and Lan Wangji wondered if he had the word 'space' in his dictionary. "What about you?"

 

Lan Wangji said nothing. 

 

"So, we're going to play this game, huh?" He crossed his arm over his chest, canting his chin towards the sky and scoffed. "Well, I can play, too." 

 

 _I don't want you to play_ , the shivering boy wanted to say, but decided it was best to keep his mouth shut. 

 

"Y'know what? You seem like a Jiang Cheng to me, if I'm being honest," Wei Wuxian said nonchalantly, a cheeky grin slipping onto his face. His eyes lit up as he shoved his hands into his coat pocket. "Hm, maybe a Nie Mingjue? Yeah, you look like the type to be named 'Nie Mingjue', or Jin Zixuan." He pursed his lips and muttered as he continued. "Tch, I know too many assholes  _not_ that I'm calling _you_ an asshole, you just have that... expression."

 

There was a brief pause. 

 

"Now that I think about, you don't exactly look mean, or rude," he brought a hand up to his chin and stroked his imaginary goatee. "You're very handsome, yes, but you look like you've just been mourning over your wife's death. Is that why you're out here?" 

 

Lan Wangji stood up abruptly, having come to the conclusion that he should probably find another place to sleep for the night. Any place would've been better than here. Heck, even that slide would've been a better make-shift shelter than this bench! 

 

Wei Wuxian was quick to react, latching onto Lan Wangji's hand with a panicked expression. "Wait, don't go!" He said hastily, his tone thick with glee, yet his grip was so deathly tight. "I'm sorry for bothering you, but please don't go." Despite the happiness in his voice, it couldn't quite mask the desperation lacing his words. 

 

Lan Wangji paused and looked over his shoulder, confused. "...Why?" 

 

Dropping his hand, Wei Wuxian scooted over and the boy opposite of him took that as his sign to sit back onto the bench. "Well, you see," he started, already trailing off as his eyes flickered and forth towards the snow and Lan Wangji. "I mean ... Isn't it lonely being, well, alone? Everyone hates being alone." 

 

Lan Wangji didn't answer that. 

 

Taking his silence as a response, Wei Wuxian waved his hand around and smiled. "Ah, forget it, forget it," he hummed, leaning back and clasping his hand behind his head. "But seriously, what's someone like you doing out here? It's past midnight and it's freezing cold." 

 

"Mhn," Lan Wangji responded, bringing his hand up to his mouth and blew again. "...cold." 

 

The corners of Wei Wuxian's lips stretched into a bright smile at his response and that made Lan Wangji wonder. Was he that happy about his response? Or just a response, period? Since Lan Wangji had been doing nothing, but ignoring him since his arrival, he must've been quite ... ah, joyful. That was the word, right? Joyful. 

 

"We're making some progress!" Wei Wuxian pumped his fist and took off his coat, throwing it over to Lan Wangji with an even brighter smile from before. "Here! Borrow this for now since your fingers look like their about to fall off. Gosh, look at you trembling like a bunny!" 

 

Lan Wangji was sure he hadn't made a face, but looking at Wei Wuxian's face, he probably had. He looked back at the streetlight again, accepting the coat and bathing in the warmth it provided. "...Mhn."

 

"Is that all you say?" Wei Wuxian tilted his head, frowning. "'Mhn'? I guess you're a man of a few words, or well ... boy of a few words. You don't look that much older than me. Anyways, what's your name?" Wei Wuxian brought a leg up to his chest and leaned on it. "Don't you think it's only fair since you know mine, now?"

 

"...Didn't ask," Lan Wangji started, flickering his eyes over to Wei Wuxian for the briefest moment, "...for your name." 

 

"Wah  y'know what, give me back my coat! You don't deserve it!"

 

Lan Wangji did not give back his coat. 

 

Letting out a huff and stubbornly crossing his arm over his chest, Wei Wuxian pouted. "I'll seriously start calling you 'Jiang Cheng' and you have no idea how much of an insult that is," the boy threatened. "Seriously, you wouldn't want to be compared to him. He's like a grandma." There was a pause. "And he's ugly." 

 

Never in his life was Lan Wangji more tempted to roll his eyes. He could tell today was going to be a long day  or well, _night_. 

 

"Come on, you were suppose to laugh! Everyone always laugh when I call Jiang Cheng ugly, because they know it's true!" He whined, his pout growing bigger. Letting out another huff, Wei Wuxian settled down and stared at Lan Wangji in an accusing manner. "Do you think I'm a kidnapper? Is that why you won't tell me your name? If so, I can assure you I'm not! I swear it on Jiang Cheng!"

 

Whoever this Jiang Cheng person was, Lan Wangji actually pitied him. That poor soul. 

 

There was another silence. It didn't last very long considering Wei Wuxian was quick to break it, as if the quietness was poison and if it lasted more than five seconds, he would've surely died form it. 

 

"It's not like I'm gonna black mail you!" The boy rocked back and forth, letting out an exhale of air as he continued. "Your name can't possibly be more uglier than Jiang Cheng's!"

 

...

 

Yeah, Lan Wangji really did pity whoever this Jiang Cheng person was. 

 

"I'm not gonna bite! I mean, I can't promise that, but I can promise I won't bite that hard  "

 

"Lan Wangji," the said boy interrupted, closing his eyes with a sigh. "That is my name."

 

Wei Wuxian's mouth parted slightly before he quickly snapped it shut, masking the surprise that had come with Lan Wangji's name. "Huh," the boy leaned back, a curious cut to his gaze as he stared at the sky. "Lan Wangji ... that's a pretty name."

 

"Mhn." 

 

A smile formed on Wei Wuxian's face as he continued to stare at the sky. "Is that your courtesy name?"

 

"Mhn."

 

"Then what's your real name?"

 

"..."

 

"Not gonna answer me?"

 

"Mhn."

 

"..." 

 

Wei Wuxian rolled his head to the side, glancing over to Lan Wangji with amusement tainting his features. "You're pretty difficult," he said, smiling. "Do I have to tell you my name first, then? If so, it's Wei Ying." 

 

 _You're too trusting._ Lan Wangji had wanted to say. Sighing, he turned to meet Wei Wuxian's gaze. "Lan Zhan," he tugged the coat closer to him. "...that is my name."

 

"Wow, and that's an even prettier name," Wei Wuxian muttered loud enough for Lan Wangji to hear. Turning to face him completely, Wei Wuxian let another bright smile slip onto his face. "Nice to meet you, Lan Zhan." 

 

When Lan Wangji had told Wei Wuxian his given name, he did it thinking Wei Wuxian would use his courtesy name, not his given one. They weren't close, but having spent all this time with the boy with the red shoes so far, Lan Wangji could already tell how shameless he was. 

 

"Y'know, you have really pretty eyes," Wei Wuxian said aloud, snapping Lan Wangji out of his thoughts. "Gold, huh? Isn't that just something..." He trailed off, eyes leaving Lan Wangji for a brief moment as they climbed towards the sky. "...just like the moon..."

 

"Mhn?" Lan Wangji furrowed his brows in confusion. 

 

"Ah, don't worry about it," the boy opposite of him shook his head and continued to smile. "Anyways, I'm a little curious, Lan Zhan. What's someone like you doing out here?" Wei Wuxian's smile turned into a smirk as he drummed his hand against his knee. "Haven't you heard the big, bad wolves lurk around here? Looking for an easy prey? For a rich little _boy_."

 

There was a pause. 

 

And then, a laugh. 

 

"Someone like _you_."

 

Lan Wangji tensed up, eyes narrowing into into a glare as Wei Wuxian studied his every expression. Or well, _any_ expression considering the fact that Lan Wangji wasn't very expressive. 

 

"I'm just kidding, don't get your knickers in a twist," Wei Wuxian laughed, tilting his head with a calculating gaze  ~~~~one that Lan Wangji didn't particularly like. His smile turned sly as he tugged at the jacket Lan Wangji was wearing with a devious look in his eyes. "Since it seems like you won't tell me why you're out here, how about I tell you my story?"

 

Golden orbs widening by a fraction, Lan Wangji parted his lips slightly before nodding his head. "Mhn," he said, curious, as Wei Wuxian's first words flashed through his mind. 

 

' _What's a pretty boy like you doing in my everyday spot?'_

 

"I would like to know." 

 

Wei Wuxian did a once over of Lan Wangji and smirked. 

 

"I bet you do," he purred as his eyelids drooped, and Lan Wangji didn't know why he suddenly felt like his curiosity was taking somewhere he couldn't come back from. Wei Wuxian reached out a hand and tugged a loose strand behind Lan Wangji's ear and smirked. " _I bet you do_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it really a WangXian fic of mine if Wei Wuxian isn't somehow slandering Jiang Cheng? The answer is no.


	2. the moon boy; Lan Wangji

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was decided. 
> 
> Nodding his head, Lan Wangji bid Wei Wuxian a brief farewell. 
> 
> He'd see that boy with the red shoes again.

Lan Wangji learned many things about Wei Wuxian in one night. Specifically, he learned many things _three minutes_  into said boy's rant. One of them being that Wei Wuxian was certainly more shameless than he had assumed. 

 

"...and can you _believe_ he had the audacity to call me out for something I _did_ in front of our _friends_?" Wei Wuxian asked, incredulous. "Yeah, so what if I cut his hair  come on Lan Zhan, don't give me that look. It was pay back! Plus, he looks better now. So really, he should be thanking me instead of kicking me out the house." 

 

Lan Wangji merely continued to stare at him, hoping his non-expressive face was expressive enough. 

 

"Okay, _fine_ , I admit it was _partially_ my fault  "

 

"Partially?" Lan Wangji questioned.

 

" _all_ of my fault." Wei Wuxian glared at the boy sitting across from him, hands folded across his face as a pout tugged at his lips. "But he did need to get a haircut, so I gave him one...without his consent." 

 

"You ... you're ridiculous," Lan Wangji managed to say between the cold biting at his cheeks, the warmth provided by Wei Wuxian's jacket, and the stars winking down at him. 

 

Ah, just why was it so cold today?

 

Wei Wuxian let out a huff, running a hand through his disheveled hair and frowned. "We could go somewhere warmer, though I doubt there's any cafes open at this hour of the day, or, well, _night_. Plus, even if we fail, at least we walked around, right? I heard walking is good for the human body. I wouldn't know. I don't do it a lot." 

 

Lan Wangji was tempted to roll his eyes, but his uncle had taught him better. 

 

Pushing himself off the bench, Wei Wuxian extended a hand towards the taller male. Staring hesitantly, Lan Wangji flickered his eyes back and forth between the grinning boy and his extended hand. 

 

"I won't bite that hard," Wei Wuxian had said, smiling. 

 

In the end, Lan Wangji always wondered why he had accepted the boy with red shoes' hand. 

 

☾

 

Wei Wuxian chattering never ceased throughout their walk around town. Everywhere they went, streets were engulfed by lights and the dwindling of humans' presence, yet the night never seemed to have gotten quieter. It was most likely because of Wei Wuxian's endless talking. Half way through their walk, Lan Wangji realized he didn't mind the onslaught of Wei Wuxian's words. 

 

At one point, Wei Wuxian had laced their hands together, complaining about how he was 'too slow' and resorted to dragging the taller male around everywhere. Lan Wangji wondered if they were even looking for a cafe anymore. However, seeing Wei Wuxian's smile as he pointed here and there, rambling on and on, Lan Wangji decided this was okay. This was nice. 

 

"And, oh! Look! That's where I first kicked Jiang Cheng's ass!" Wei Wuxian had exclaimed with such fondness, one would think he was talking about something that was _not_ about kicking his friend's ass. "We were fighting over this artist's that came into town autograph and he got mad that Uncle gave it to me and pulled my hair, demanding I give it to him."

 

Wei Wuxian let out a sigh, a smile growing on his face as he continued. "Of course, I had to retaliate, you know? So, I punched him in the face and kicked him in the balls, running away after I absolutely destroyed his pride in front of his crush." 

 

Lan Wangji wondered if hanging around this boy was the right choice. 

 

"But come on," he tugged on Lan Wangji's, or, uh, _his_ coat and dragged the boy over to a tree decorated with the brightest set of light in the block. "This tree was where Jiang Cheng and I first met. Though he didn't like me at first, my dashing charms were too hard to resist, and wallah! We're the best of friends now!" 

 

Lan Wangji stared down at the shorter male. "...Even after you cut off his hair?" 

 

"...." 

 

There was the briefest pause. 

 

"Lan Zhan, listen, he needed a haircut."

 

☾

 

Lan Wangji learned that Jiang Cheng was Wei Wuxian's brother. Wei Wuxian told stories of his childhood, grinning like a mad man as he did so and laughing every time he mentioned some sort of prank he pulled on Jiang Cheng. How the boy even managed to tolerate the red-shoed male, Lan Wangji could never understand. 

 

"...and this one time I was pretending that I was drowning, and you know what he said?" Wei Wuxian was grinning widely, rocking back and forth as the cold bit at his cheeks, coloring it the rosiest of rose. "It wasn't even a cry for help! All he said was 'good riddance' and continued on reading as if I wasn't dying!"

 

"But you weren't dying."

 

"That's not the point."

 

Lan Wangji just calmly sipped his hot chocolate, tempted to smile but restrained himself. Having found a cafe that was open, Wei Wuxian went straight in and ordered two hot chocolate, a dessert and something Lan Wangji couldn't quite hear; only to realize in the end that he was, in fact, _broke_ and that Lan Wangji's card got declined. 

 

"My uncle," Lan Wangji clipped out. That had been one of the reasons why Lan Wangji didn't want to use his card  the moment he stepped foot outside of the Lan's household, his uncle had most definitely froze his card and if there was the chance it wasn't frozen, Lan Wangji still didn't want to use it; knowing full well his Uncle would found out about his whereabouts if he did. 

 

With no other choice left, Wei Wuxian had shamelessly bargained the price down to a half, smiling all the while as he did so. When that worked, he bargained that down even further until the workers had given it to them for free in exchange for Wei Wuxian never stepping foot in that building again. 

 

Needless to say, Wei Wuxian agreed like the liar he was and exited the cafe with a shocked Lan Wangji trailing behind him.

 

They went back to the tree, sitting on the bench it provided and ate and drank as the shorter boy continued to tell stories of his childhood. 

 

"...but, what's with that black card? Are you actually rich?" Wei Wuxian asked, his curiosity leaking into their warm atmosphere. "I was only joking around, because you didn't exactly look like a homeless person, but I wasn't actually expecting my new friend to be the possible heir to a corporation I don't know about." 

 

"My brother is the heir," Lan Wangji calmly replied, having grown use to Wei Wuxian's blabbering by this point. "I'm the second child." 

 

"So you _are_ rich?"

 

"Mhn." 

 

"Wow, and you didn't even deny it!" Wei Wuxian laughed, placing his dessert off to the side and turning his full attention to Lan Wangji. "So, tell me then, what's it like being rich?"

 

Lan Wangji placed his his cup of hot chocolate down, flickering his eyes over to Wei Wuxian for a brief moment, before replying. "You should know," he said, staring at the sky clouded with the grey veils people called clouds. "You...you're rich, too." 

 

Lan Wangji expected shock, a 'how did you know!' and something along that line of surprise. What he didn't expect, however, was Wei Wuxian curling his lips into a sly smile as his eyes turned into the crescent moon, trapping Lan Wangji under his devilish gaze. 

 

"What gave it away?" Was Wei Wuxian's question as he idly stared at Lan Wangji's watch. "Did I slip up during my story? Give details I wasn't meant to give? Come on, Lan Zhan. I'm curious, how did you know?"

 

"It was a hunch," Lan Wangji went back to sipping his drink. "My hunches are usually correct." 

 

Wei Wuxian blinked. 

 

Then. 

 

"Pwahahahaha! What the hell  it was hunch?" Wei Wuxian threw his head back, letting out full-blown laughter as he clutched his stomach. "Lan Zhan! For all you knew, I could've been broke! Well, actually, that's true considering Jiang Cheng had Madame Yu take away all my savings and money, but that's besides the point," he coughed, and continued. "Seriously though, Lan Zhan, for all you knew I could've been a murderer!"

 

Lan Wangji simply hummed in reply. 

 

Had Lan Wangji been looking at at Wei Wuxian, he would've seen the sudden glint of mischievousness warping to life in the boy's eyes as he set aside all of his desserts and drink. 

 

"Then, Lan Zhan, tell me this" cold hands were on Lan Wangji's face in a heartbeat, startling the boy who was forced to look into the eyes of the devil himself. Wei Wuxian peered up at Lan Wangji, a lazy smile slipping onto his lips as he lowered his voice, his words coming out as a low whisper that was, for some reason, dangerously attractive. " ~~~~what do you think I'll do next?"

 

Lan Wangji opened his mouth, but no words came out. The intensity of Wei Wuxian's hands   _his hands_  felt like pure ice, yet warm at the same time  wait, was it his face? Was his face heating up? Oh, it _was_ , wasn't it? 

 

Despite his rosy cheeks, Wei Wuxian did not relent. If anything, it only edged him on as he pressed himself closer to Lan Wangji with that coy look in his eyes. 

 

 _Oh_ , Lan Wangji realized, unable to tear his gaze from Wei Wuxian's eyes. _Oh, he has really pretty eyes._

 

A shadow loomed over the smaller male's face, a thin veil that conjured every deep desire in one's mind and Lan Wangji wondered if that was what was happening to him. 

 

Sighing, Wei Wuxian released his grip on Lan Wangji's shoulder and dropped his brow to his shoulder. "Sorry," he said with a voice of realization as he closed his eyes. "I probably made you uncomfortable, didn't I?" 

 

Lan Wangji opened his mouth, but then closed it. Then open. Close. And open. And close, again. 

 

Finally, he opened his mouth, bringing his hand to pat Wei Wuxian on the head. "No," he said warmly, reassuring the hyper-active boy the best he could. "It didn't make me uncomfortable."

 

Wei Wuxian said nothing. And when he finally did, it wasn't what Lan Wangji expected. 

 

"I'm going to head home, Lan Zhan. I think you should, too," Wei Wuxian said against the golden-eyed boy's shoulder. He lifted his head from his Lan Wangji's shoulder, rubbing at his eyes and grinned. "Jiang Cheng's probably looking for me right now. I'd never been out this late." 

 

Huh?

 

Wei Wuxian slowly withdrew himself from Lan Wangji, smiling that same smile that use to make Lan Wangji want to smile in turn, but this? This just wasn't the right situation.

 

"It was nice, talking and hanging out with you, though I never figured out why a rich little boy like you was doing in that part of town. The park is pretty, sure, but anyone barely goes there when it's winter.

 

"Anyways, we're in the central part of town. You said you were a Lan, so you should find your way back relevantly quick." Wei Wuxian tugged at his coat, bringing his leg up to his chest and grinned. "Give me back my jacket, I'm cold. Plus, I bet your house is that big one at the edge of down town. I'm right, aren't I?"

 

Indeed he was. 

 

Quietly slipping off his jacket, Lan Wangji realized just how cold it had gotten once he was exposed to the cold, frosty night. 

 

"If anything, lets meet up again!" Wei Wuxian exclaimed, patting Lan Wangji's arm with a grin. "Yeah? How about it? Sounds like a good plan, right?"

 

Lan Wangji parted his lips, before closing them and nodding his head. He wanted to ask Wei Wuxian when he'd leave, wanted to get to know him, and send more time with the smiling boy, but he quickly brushed those thoughts away.

 

It was already decided.

 

Lan Wangji bid Wei Wuxian a brief farewell. 

 

He'd see that boy with the red shoes again.

 

Once he had disappeared from his view, Wei Wuxian dropped his hand back to his side. Sighing, he leaned back and stared up at the sky full of countless of stars that had probably died the moment it reached his eyes. 

 

" _Yeah_ ," the boy's smile dwindled slightly as he tugged on his hair and pulled his hood over his head. " _See you later, Lan Zhan._ "

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *squints at the clock* yeah, I'll just edit this later. Anyways, time to shleeeeeeep


End file.
